Process for preparing thermosetting aminoplast compositions

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING THERMOSETTING BUTYLATED AMINOPLAST RESINS COMPRISING DISPERSING A SUBSTANTIALLY DRY THERMOSETTING AMINOPLAST INTERMEDIATE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHYLOL UREA AND METHYLOL MELAMINE IN PRIMARY BUTANOL PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT FROM 75% TO 90% OF THE THEORETICAL QUANTITY REQUIRED TO REACT WITH THE METHYLOL GROUPS OF THE INTERMEDIATE, REFLUXING IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACID CATALYST UNDER STRONG AGITATION TO EFFECT AN HOMOGENEOUS SOLUTION, AND DISTILLING AND RETURNING THE UPPER LAYER TO THE REACTION SPHERE AND REMOVING THE LOWER LAYER FROM THE REACTION SPHERE, WHILE GRADUALLY FEEDING 20%-25% OF THE COMPUTED FINAL BATCH WEIGHT OF XYIOL INTO THE SPHERE OF REACTION AND CONTINUING THE DISTILLATION UNDER DECANTATION, WHEREIN THE UPPER ORGANIC LAYER IS RETURNED TO THE REACTION SPHERE AND THE LOWER AQUEOUS LAYER IS REMOVED FROM THE REACTION SPHERE, UNTIL THE AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TOLERANCE OF THE BATCH IS AT LEAST 20 TO 1.